Grayling, Michigan: Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground, Hanson Hills Recreation Area, Local Breweries

May 2022, 3 nights, weekdays-weekend

Picnic/beach area from road in Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

Arrival at Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground, campsite 5

This campground is about 1½ miles off M-72 west of Grayling. The picnic and beach area is located across from the check-in spot before the campsites.

Campground map of Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

The campground has three loops. If this is your first visit, I suggest stopping at the check-in board to view the map (photo above) to see how the park is laid out, because there are no sign posts with lot numbers or info at the drives in. The only signs at the campsite loop entrances and exits are one-way signs. This was our first visit, and fortunately, our instincts took us to the last loop in, and the first waterfront site was vacant.

Campsite 5 in Lake Margrethe State Forest Campground

Battle Creek, Augusta, and Galesburg, Michigan: Fort Custer Recreation Area, Biking, Breweries

May 2022, Weekend-weekdays, 4-nights

Campsite 23 in Fort Custer Recreation Area

Fort Custer Recreation Area, Campsite 23

We arrived at this campground from Waterloo State Recreation Area without having dumped our tank or filled with fresh water, since the sanitation station in that park is not near the campground we stayed in. Upon arrival at this park, we learned there had been a construction issue a few days before our arrival, and there was no water at the sanitation station. We were able to dump our tank with no rinsing, and then had to drive a mile back out to the ranger station to fill our water tank. It would have been nice, if the state had sent an email providing this info to incoming campers before arrival! I mean, they do send us many confirmation and reminder emails before arrival. 😳 In talking with the staff member at the check-in booth, we learned that the campground host would be delivering fresh water to campers that needed it later that evening. I was glad I had learned about this, and then observed the host delivering the water, because he did not stop at our site. He stopped to give a case of water to campers across the road from us, who already had water from the days before, and then prepared to exit on his cart. I walked up to talk with him, and then we received a case of water, as well. Nice that our state park provided this; sad that the campground host was not doing his job.

Campsite 23 in Fort Custer Recreation Area
Fire pit on the right in the bottom photo is on site 21

Most of the campsites in this campground are quite nice with shade and privacy trees. We made our reservation last minute, and site 23 is just an okay site, in my opinion. It is secluded on the two backsides, and open to the road and campsite 21. It is level, and the ground covering is mostly dirt. Fortunately, campsite 21 was not in use during our entire stay. Two different campers stayed for only one night each during our four-night stay.

 Whitford Lake picnic area in Fort Custer Recreation Area

Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Brecksville, Ohio

May 2022, Weekend and weekday

This park is along the route we took to West Virginia with easy access from I-80. We had initially planned to stop on only one day; however, our plans changed due to construction at the falls. Our original plan was to visit Boston Mill Visitor Center and Brandywine Falls by car, and then hike Ledges Trail on the way to our nearby hotel. When we arrived, we learned the parking lot at Brandywine Falls was under construction, and that the only way to get to the falls was a 5-mile hike (roundtrip). We did not have enough time to hike both areas, so we hiked Ledges Trail the first day, and then stopped again on our return to hike to the falls.

Cuyahoga River behind Boston Mill Visitor Center

Boston Mill Visitor Center

The visitor center was open when we stopped on Sunday afternoon; however, it was not open when we stopped in the afternoon on a weekday. It was fully staffed on Sunday, and employees were very helpful. There is no charge to enter the visitor center, or to hike the trails.

Ledges Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Ledges Trail

It is quite easy to hike this entire trail, although many people walked to just the main viewing spots. It is a beautiful hike. The entire loop was less than 3 miles.

Ledges Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Overlook near picnic area below

Maumee, Ohio: Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee-Toledo

 May 2022, 2 queen beds guestroom 417

Diamond perks and check-in

I had reserved a king guestroom; however, there were no king guestrooms available on the top floor when I checked in, so I chose a queen guestroom instead. I spoke with someone at the hotel before arrival and when I arrived to make sure. The front desk agent handed me two bottles of water when I arrived.

Guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

Guestroom 417

We loved this guestroom. It was comfortable, clean, and well soundproofed. During our arrival check-in, the front desk agent had mentioned that sometimes this side of the building is loud with the UPS hub activity from the building behind the hotel. We did not think the noise from the facility was loud or bothersome at all. Possibly, the noise is louder on lower floors.

Guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

The guestroom was spacious, and contained all needed kitchen supplies. There was a divider curtain between the sleeping area and the seating area.

Bathroom in guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

The bathroom shower was nice, and the towels were good quality.

Breakfast buffet in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

Cumberland Maryland: Fairfield Inn & Suites, Area Trails, Dining, Brewery

May 2022, weekdays, 2 nights, Fairfield Inn extended king guestroom 419

It has been a few weeks since my stay at this hotel, so I am sharing only minimal info that I recall clearly. If I had been traveling alone, I would have chosen the new Hampton Inn at the next exit north of town. I chose this hotel because it is in a good location with businesses nearby that my husband would enjoy.  

Back of Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland from bicycle path

Arrival and check-in

We had not eaten before we arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon. Since it was before check-in time, I went inside to ask the front desk clerk for nearby dining recommendations within walking distance. She provided a printed sheet and verbal recommendations. See the dining section at the bottom of this post for more information about that. I had not received a notification via the app before we returned to the hotel, even though it was almost check-in time. The agent assigned our room when I asked if we could check-in.

Guestroom 419 in Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland 

Fairfield Inn standard and extended king guestrooms

We were initially assigned a standard king guestroom on the top floor. I believe it was guestroom 400. This basic room was extremely small, and I wish I had taken a photo before I returned to the front desk. The one small cushioned chair in the room was so tight in the corner, it was up against the bed and wall. It did not look like there was room to walk behind the [second] desk chair if I had been sitting at the desk. Again, if I had been by myself, I would have just let it go. However, since there were two of us staying two nights, I returned to the front desk to ask about a larger room. The agent reassigned us guestroom 419, which met our needs much better.

Guestroom 419 in Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland 

Guestroom 419 was similar to most Fairfield Inn rooms I have stayed in before. The bathroom was near the entrance. The beverage center was located in the entry between the bathroom and sitting area. The sitting area was next, and the bed was at the end of the room near the window. The complimentary enhanced internet (for elite members) did not work worth a crap, and would barely load anything the second evening when the hotel was more full. I probably would have requested a refund, if I had paid for this.

Stow, Ohio: Courtyard by Marriott Akron Stow - near Cuyahoga National Park

May 2022, weekend, one night, king balcony guestroom 412

View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio

Arrival and gold perks

The entrance at this hotel was a bit scary/nasty when we arrived, and I should have taken a photo. The trashcan was filthy and full. The entrance mat was incredibly dirty/covered with debris. I had checked in via the app, and did not receive notification that my room was ready before we arrived after check-in time Sunday evening. The agent appeared to be assigning the guestroom after I gave him my name. He did not say anything, so when it looked like he was about ready to code the key, I asked him if he was giving us a room on the top floor, and if we could have an upgrade to a room with a balcony. He said a balcony room is not an upgrade, and that this could be requested. Odd, that there is no way to choose a balcony room when making the reservation. He then assigned us an odd numbered room with a balcony on the top floor. It was not the end room, and I do not recall for sure if it was 403 or 405.

Above: View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Below: Guestroom diagram on back of the door in king guestroom 412 

Guestroom 403 or 405, and 412

Odd numbered rooms in this hotel are on the expressway side of the hotel, and the sliding glass doors are not very soundproof. It was very noisy in the odd-numbered guestroom that we entered, first. I called the front desk agent from the phone in the guestroom to ask if there was a room available on the other side of the building. He checked, and then said he would meet us at room 412. It was great that we did not need to go back down the elevator to get new keys; however, I did not understand why we had not been assigned a guestroom on the obviously better side of the building to begin with. One thing I have loved about Marriotts during my years of travel, is that they usually assign elite members guestrooms in preferred locations. Not only are the even numbered rooms better because of the traffic noise; they also have a better view. Both guestrooms we were assigned had connecting room doors.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Connecting room door on left

Guestroom 412 was spacious and comfortable. It contained a curved sofa, king size bed, spacious work area, small fridge, and microwave. The two chairs and small table on the balcony looked clean, and the seating was comfortable. There was a screen in the balcony doorway, so we were able to sleep with the door open to the fresh air.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Hairs and dirt on desk chair below

Chelsea, Michigan: Waterloo State Recreation Area, Green Lake Rustic Campground, Hiking, Biking, Discovery Center

May 2022, Green Lake primitive site GL6, 3 nights, weekdays

View of Green Lake from rustic campsite GL6 in Waterloo Recreation Area

This was our first visit to Waterloo park, which is the largest state park in Michigan's lower peninsula. We plan to visit again!

Info and registration instructions at Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area

Reservations

We had not initially planned to make a reservation, since our stay was during the week at the beginning of May. After we looked at the park more closely, however, we decided it would be easier to make a reservation, in order to drive directly to our site. It did not look like there was a way to check in at this primitive campground, and the staffed areas in this park would have been out of our way.

After we arrived, we observed a self-registration kiosk, similar to Michigan State Forest campgrounds. There were also "reserved" tags on some sties; however, this information was not accurate, nor was it checked by anyone. There was no reservation tag on our site when we arrived, even though we had made a reservation. There was a reservation tag on the site next to us when we arrived, and this site was not occupied until the last night of our stay (I also checked the website after we arrived, and there was no reservation for that site until the last evening). Many people came to this campground and stayed on sites for just a few hours: in lounge chairs, tree hammocks, and at picnic tables around a fire. Some of the sites people used had reserved tags on them, and some did not. We could not figure out any rhyme or reason to most of the activity in this campground. The clipboard list with reserved site numbers in the photo above was not present until the last night of our stay. We were glad or site was unoccupied when we arrived!

Above: campsite GL6 in Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: labels for campsites GL6, GL5, and GL3

Campsites in Green Lake Rustic Campground

Although campsite GL6 is unlevel and hilly, we thought this was one of the best campsites in this campground. The water view is excellent, and the site is quite large. There are no trees between this site and site GL5. GL5 is also a large site, so when the people arrived at that site on our last evening their camper were quite aways away from us.

Above: sunrise from inside our camper on campsite GL6 in
Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: another view of campsites GL5 and GL3

I also liked campsites GL3, GL14, and GL20, although my husband thinks GL6 is best. Site GL3 is more level than 5 and 6, although there are also mores trees between the campsite and the water. Campsite GL14 is somewhat private, although it is not level and not as large as GL6. I liked this site because it looked like there would be a fabulous sunset view over the water. Campsite GL20 is the most private site. This site would be great in cool weather because it is open and surrounded by trees. You cannot see the lake from this site.

Waterloo-Pickney hiking trail in Waterloo Recreation Area